


build me up from bones

by captaintiny



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Babies, F/M, this is my own interpretation of how fenris' tattoos work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:22:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26451799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captaintiny/pseuds/captaintiny
Summary: Pippa Hawke and Fenris share their first kiss.
Relationships: Fenris/Female Hawke
Comments: 3
Kudos: 21





	build me up from bones

The fire was still flooding the room with warmth, and Pippa leaned closer, eyes heavy lidded from the wine, and fixed on Fenris' mouth. Their lips met, and for a second, she was breathless, but then Fenris pulled away and she looked up to see him rigid in his chair, boring a hole through the floor with his stare, resolutely not looking at her.

Embarrassment washed over Pippa in waves, and tears burnt in her eyes as she stumbled over half formed apologies and got clumsily to her feet, just about ready to jump into the harbour. At the last second, a hand snapped out to grab her wrist and she froze.

"Don't go." Fenris pleaded, so quietly she could barely hear him over the crackle of the flames. Pippa paced backwards until she was level with his chair, and waited, stomach still lurching and shame still prickling up the back of her neck. Fenris released her. "I was a slave. I won't bore you with the details, but I'm... not used to people asking for my permission."

He still couldn't meet her eye, and her heart ached for him. "Fenris," she said quietly, "I want you to know I won't ever do anything you don't want me to."

He flinched at that, curling in on himself a little. "Don't -" he said before making a visible effort to stop himself speaking, to sit up and look - not at her, but at least in her direction. "That's what I mean," he continued, hands fisting in the lavish velvet of his seat. "I don't – I can handle cruelty, or violence, or indifference, even. But I - I don't know what to do when someone is kind to me. Everything I've learned just tells me it's a trap."

Pippa perched gingerly on the edge of the table. "Do you want to kiss me?" She asked, gently, patiently.

"Yes," Fenris breathed, finally looking up and meeting her gaze. "Very much."

Pippa couldn't stop her heart from fluttering. "Do you want to take the lead then? You kiss, I kiss. You stop, I stop." She smiled encouragingly.

Fenris' brow slowly unfurrowed as he processed her words. "I... yes. All right." He slowly got to his feet, standing in front of Pippa and taking a long, steadying breath, before leaning down to brush his lips against hers.

As their mouths met, warmth flooded through Pippa. Even chaste like this, the gesture felt heady and sweet. Fenris' arms remained at his side, so Pippa kept hers in her lap despite an overwhelming urge to pull him down by his shirt and kiss him until she was dizzy. Still, she couldn't stop herself smiling so wide her cheeks ached.

Fenris pulled away, looking a little perplexed.

"All right?" Pippa asked.

"You're smiling."

"Yes," she replied, unable to refrain from teasing, "That tends to be the reaction when I'm happy."

Fenris' mouth twitched at the corners in response, and it only made the butterflies in her stomach multiply. "You liked it, then?"

"I did," she murmured, suddenly aware of how close his face still was to hers. "And you?"

Fenris reached up to gently cup her cheek, humming appreciatively. “I did.” His thumb stroked over her skin, and when he spoke again, his voice was practically a purr. “May I… do it again?”

Pippa nodded, tilting her head up in invitation, and when Fenris covered her mouth with his this time, she couldn’t help but let out a little moan against his lips. Her face felt hot where he was touching it, and then he inhaled sharply and deepened the kiss, his other hand coming to rest on her back, pulling her closer. She made a small noise of surprise when she felt his tongue, but it quickly shifted to a soft moan, and she mirrored him, placing her hand on his face. He flinched a little in surprise, but didn’t pull away, continuing to kiss her with a desire so tangible it made her clothes feel far too tight. She was aching for more, wanted to ravish him right there on the rug in front of the fire and trail her tongue down his chest, but she’d be damned if she let her enthusiasm push Fenris into something he wasn’t ready for, and given that this was undoubtedly the most wonderful kiss she’d ever experienced, it was easy to suppress those urges, and store them away for another time.

When Fenris finally pulled away, Pippa chased his lips with a small noise of protest, before opening her eyes and blushing, ducking her head with a shy smile as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. Fenris was frowning a little, and Pippa regarded him questioningly.

“What is it?”

“It didn’t hurt,” he murmured, only half looking at her. Pippa tilted her head slightly, and Fenris continued. “The tattoos, they - if someone touches them, it’s unpleasant. Mostly, it’s just discomfort, like an old injury that hasn’t quite healed. Sometimes it’s painful.” He held his hand out, staring at the white, vein-like markings stark against his palm. “But it didn’t hurt when you touched them.” He looked up, eyes meeting Pippa’s, and she felt her stomach lurch.

Without breaking his gaze, she very slowly took her hand, and traced the lines from the base of Fenris’ palm to his fingertips. He inhaled sharply, and Pippa immediately withdrew, but he shook his head and reached out his other hand to cling to hers.

“Don’t-” His eyes flicked down to where his fingers curled around her wrist, breathing heavily, and shaking ever so slightly. “Please, Pippa,” he breathed. “Do it again.” He pulled her hand up to his face to touch the lines on his chin, “Here. Please.”

“Fenris-”

“Please.” He urged.

Pippa relented, and feather-light, ran the pad of her thumb over the markings. Fenris inhaled again, and Pippa watched in surprise as his eyes fluttered a little, and he leant into the touch. “What is it?” She asked, softly.

“It’s… good.” Fenris said, as she continued to gently brush over his skin.

Pippa blinked. “You… you like it?”

Fenris nodded, and slowly lifted her hand away from his face so he could press his palm flat against hers, sighing again softly at the touch. “It doesn’t hurt,” he repeated, voice full of wonder, an almost child-like awe on his face as he stared at their hands.

Before Pippa could ask anymore questions, or work through the implications of what had passed between them, the markings on the back of his hand began to glow. In fact, his entire body lit up. Not the searing blue she had become accustomed to in battle, but a gentle luminescence, like soft candlelight from behind a linen screen. Pippa was awestruck, but when Fenris noticed, he started and jumped back, staring at his hands in confusion and slowly dawning horror.

“What is this?!”

The light was already fading, like it was sinking back into his skin, and sensing his growing terror, Pippa launched forward and grabbed one of his hands, pressing a soft kiss to his palm and then clutching it tightly. “Fenris, Fenris it’s alright. You’re safe, I promise, you’re safe.” When Fenris caught her eye, the fear in his eyes began to subside and his breathing returned to normal. Pippa held his gaze. “You’re safe.” She repeated, smiling reassuringly, and reached up to cup his cheek. He smiled back, and as the tension left his shoulders, the glow returned, not as brightly as before, but unmistakable, and Fenris shimmered in front of her like starlight on a lake. It was the most beautiful thing Pippa had ever seen.

“What’s happening to me?” He asked hoarsely, clutching Pippa so tightly he was threatening to cut off the blood supply to her fingers.

“This has never happened before?” Pippa asked.

Fenris shook his head. “No.”

They remained in silence for a long while, before Pippa began to speak slowly, ideas forming as she spoke them aloud. “"Fenris," she asked carefully, "have you... has anyone ever touched you because you wanted them to? Really wanted, not just... because you couldn't say no?" Fenris frowned at her, and Pippa carried on. “Your markings are everywhere. It’s hard not to touch you without making contact with them somehow. And for most of your life, whenever someone put their hands on you, it was unwelcome. You didn’t want it. Then you were fighting to survive and in battle and people were trying to take you back to Tevinter, so - could it - is it possible that the markings don’t always hurt, but just when they are touched without permission? When the touch is unsolicited?” Fenris remained quiet, staring at his hands and processing Pippa’s words, and the silence encouraged her to continue. “Could it be that this is how they react when you want someone to touch them? When you’re happy?”

Fenris continued to stare at his hands in silence for so long that Pippa was afraid she’d broken him, but then the corners of his mouth twitched into a smirk and he looked up at her. “Pippa, if you wanted to know if I fancied you, there were much easier ways to find out.”

Pippa started to laugh, and it was so infectious that Fenris joined in. She’d never been so delighted to be teased in her life. “Well,” she says, wiping a tear from her eye, “Carver always said I had a knack for turning men on, you’re just the first person to take it literally.”

Both of them collapsed into giggles again, and Fenris stepped back between her legs and pulled her in tightly against his chest, still chuckling heartily. “I knew you were going to be trouble as soon as I set eyes on you, Miss Hawke.”

“How dare you,” Pippa said, muffled against his shirt. “I am a delight.”

“Yes you are.” Fenris agreed, and Pippa could hear the smile in his voice.

She pulled back, and smiled at him coyly, her eyes as sultry and seductive as she could make them. “Trouble or no, you still wanted to kiss me.”

“Yes I did,” Fenris said, leaning closer and tilting her chin up with the side of his finger. “And I find myself very much wanting to do so again.”

“What’s stopping you then?” she murmured, and Fenris’ reply was to close the gap between them and press their lips together, and he shone so brightly that Pippa could still see it behind her closed eyes.


End file.
